Waiākea Hawaiian Volcanic Beverages announced it has commercialized the use of algae-based inks for its social impact beverage products after five years of deep research and development alongside its strategic partners. 

The brand has implemented and commercialized labels printed with ACTExact UV Black Algae Ink, an ink made using carbon-negative, algae-derived pigment, thanks to a joint partnership with Living Ink Technologies, ACTEGA, and NextGen Label Group.

For Waiākea, the commercialization of algae-based inks is the latest step in a long-term commitment to advancing sustainable packaging. Since becoming one of the first beverage brands in North America to commercialize 100% post-consumer recycled PET in 2012, and later launching its OceanPlast bottle to increase the diversion of ocean-bound material, the company has evaluated every packaging decision through a science-driven lens.

Beginning in 2018, Waiākea expanded its research into algae-based solutions, from biopolymers to pigments, partnering with global labs and technical teams to assess their viability at a commercial scale. That research ultimately identified algae-derived pigments as the most impactful and scalable path forward. This discovery prompted Waiākea to align its full supply chain behind developing a carbon-negative ink with Living Ink Technologies, later partnering with ACTEGA to engineer a final, commercial-ready formulation capable of meeting the technical demands of CPG production. 

ACTExact UV Black Algae Ink is a sustainable alternative to traditional carbon black-based inks, which derive their color from petroleum sources. While more than 33 billion pounds of carbon black are produced globally each year across industries such as automotive, cosmetics, apparel and paints, a significant portion is used in printing inks. Living Ink Technologies’ Life Cycle Assessment estimates that conventional carbon black emits 3.75 kg of carbon dioxide-equivalent per kilogram of pigment produced, whereas Algae Black, the carbon-negative pigment used in ACTExact UV Black Algae Ink, sequesters carbon, with a net impact of -4.16 kg carbon dioxide-equivalent per kilogram, according to the company.

If the global supply of black pigment were replaced with Living Ink’s Algae Black, it could prevent and remove an estimated 100-plys million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions each year, which is roughly the climate impact of taking 25 million cars off the road, according to the company.

With that goal in mind, Waiākea has chosen to open-source the ink through its partners rather than maintain exclusivity or IP rights, ensuring that small businesses and brands across industries have access to a viable, commercial-ready pathway for adopting algae-based pigment technology. Waiākea and its partners will continue scaling additional pigments over the coming years.

“The historic B Corp score that followed our re-incorporation as a Public Benefit Corporation marked a new chapter for us,” said Ryan Emmons, Co-Founder and CEO of Waiākea Hawaiian Volcanic Beverages. “But milestones are only meaningful when they push you forward. Our algae-based inks show our continued commitment to move an imperfect industry towards a better future for our ʻāina (land) and our keiki (children).”